I'll Always Love You
by Petersta
Summary: Figuring they'll go to a park to relax, Emi sees another side of Shota that she hasn't seen before. Eraserjoke


After a few months of spending time together, Shota and Emi decided to become official. They would no longer have to hide from the public eye when they were together. It was gratifying to finally be able to appreciate each other's presence without worrying about whether the other one was comfortable about being out in public.

It all started when the two of them bumped into each other in a bookstore. With Emi being straightforward, she asked if they could hang out. It wasn't until after they finished their time together that day that Shota knew he had to have another date with Emi. With trying to say it least discreetly, he suggested that they meet the next weekend at his place. Knowing he enjoyed their time together, Emi jumped into his arms and teased him, only to be dismissed by Shota.

It took a while for them to get used to each other's odd behaviors and mannerisms, but after a few dates, they quickly learned how to deal with one another. The two had made it their goal to figure out one another's ideals, needs, and wants. They were convinced that they were going to make their relationship work even when they couldn't stand each other. There was something about this relationship that was different than any other relationship that they had before, something that told them that it was meant to be.

Yelling from the kitchen, Emi exclaimed, "Shota, are you ready? I've been ready for the last fifteen minutes, come on! You're taking SO long, Mr. pokey pants." Dressed in a white floral sundress going down to her calves, she spun around in front of Shota when he finally decided to show up. Running up to him, she stood on her tiptoes, flirting with him, "So, Mr. pokey pants decides to show up finally. I was getting rather lonely over here, you know."

Cringing at the name she created for him, Shota told her off, "Emi, I swear if you don't knock off that ridiculous name, I let you take a walk by yourself." Walking over to the door to put his shoes on, he gave Emi a dirty look.

Following him, Emi put on her shoes, knowing they were about to leave soon. Opening the door, she turned around, exclaiming, "Shota, I made a new word!"

Pressing his lips together, Shota glared back at her cautiously, knowing she was up to something. Sensing that he was going to regret asking, he went along with her. "What's that."

"Plagiarism!" Bursting out laughing, Emi couldn't retain her laughter from her "clever" joke.

Raising his hand to his nose, Shota pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose. "You never fail to exert yourself onto someone when you're told to back off." Removing his hand from his face, he looked Emi dead in the eye. Narrowing his eyes, he added, "Can we stay away from the jokes tonight? I'm not in the mood for joking around."

Sighing, Emi rolled her eyes at him, addressing, "When are you ever in the mood for joking around, Shota?" Walking away from him, she made her way out of the apartment.

Running after her, Shota walked a few paces behind her to let her get off some steam. Giving her a few minutes to cool off, he moved beside her, reaching for her hand. Acknowledging that she appreciated public displays of affection, he attempted to show her he was capable of doing that for her. Emi meant a lot to him, but he wasn't very great at showing it publically as he was alone. Leaning down, he whispered, "You better know, you're pretty damn lucky, Emi, that I like you so much. Otherwise, there would be no chance in hell that I would consider doing such a thing."

Giving him a warm, bright, cheeky smile, Emi expressed her gratitude. "Well, I appreciate that very much." Moving closer to him, she stroked his hand with her thumb.

Walking hand-in-hand, Shota led them toward a bench near a pond. Upon reaching the bench, the two of them sat down and cuddled on the bench. Pulling Emi closer, he embraced her in his arms, letting her rest her head on his chest.

Lifting her head to acknowledge him, Emi teased him. "I would never have thought in all these years you could be so romantic, especially since you have no sense of humor."

Half-smiling, Shota retorted, "If I'm romantic and have no sense of humor, does that mean that you're the opposite?" He knew that she wouldn't handle it well, but it was his side to turn the tables.

Creasing her eyebrows at him, Emi looked at him in disbelief. "What is that suppose to mean?!"

Chuckling that she couldn't figure out he was teasing her, Shota taunted her further, "Yeah, didn't you know that they say that every time someone tells a joke, a cupid dies."

Finally understanding that he was joking, Emi sneered at him. "Ha. Ha. Ha. You're so funny, Shota. I'm dying of laughter."

Giving her a toothy grin, Shota teased her more, "See, that wasn't even a joke. Your jokes have killed so many cupids that they've given up on you, Emi. That's why you lost your touch in the romantic department."

Pressing her lips together, Emi glared at him, disgusted that he would even joke about such a thing. Getting up, she was about to storm off, only to be pulled back down by Shota. "Shota, let me go. I'm not going to deal with this right now."

Shushing her, Shota soothed her, "Emi, you and I both know that none of that is true. Honestly, I would say that you're much more charismatic and smoother with words than I am, so you're plenty good at being romantic."

Glowering, Emi barked, "Don't you sweet me up! I'm not falling for your tricks!" Struggling to get lose, she elbowed his gut.

Wincing, Shota clasped her wrists, bringing her in closer to him. With his mouth brushing against her ear, he whispered, "Emi, stop. I was only teasing you always do with me."

Figuring she couldn't get away, Emi looked up at him and gave him a light slap. "Bad, Shota."

Glaring at her, Shota snickered, "I'm not a dog, Emi."

Biting her lower lip, Emi justified herself with a glint in her eye. "How else am I suppose to let you know not to do it again? It seemed like a reasonable way to me."

Pressing his lips together, Shota dismissed her comment. Staring the opposite way, he looked up into the sky. "We should come here during a sunset." Turning his head back at her, he studied her expression.

Aware that he would never agree to it, Emi suggested with a cheeky smile, "What about a sunrise? That would be even prettier. We can travel out to the mountains and watch the sun come up." Wrapping her arms around him, Emi looked up with her head against his chest.

Embracing her in his arms, Shota sighed. "Fine, but don't expect me to be fully awake."

Pondering whether there was a specific time they could do that, Emi exclaimed, "We can do that for our honeymoon!"

Creasing his eyebrows, Shota stared at her in disbelief. "Excuse me? We're not even engaged yet, Emi. What makes you so sure that this will even work out between us?" He wasn't serious about the last part, but he wanted to hear what she had to say.

Jerking her face away from him, Emi cried out, "Shota, will you stop saying stuff like that! My heart can't take it. I need you in my life, Shota. But, if you're going to push me away, then fine. I guess I'll be lonely for the rest of my life." Inclining her head, she raised her chin, looking up at him again. Studying his eyes, Emi searched to see if there were any sign that he believed they would end up together, married, and with kids.

Laughing inwardly, Shota assured her, "Emi, you don't have to worry about being lonely."

A few tears were streaming down her face; Emi was more emotional than she let people believe she was. Drawing in a deep breath, Emi guessed, "Is it because I'll be a cat lady?"

Cracking up, Shota grinned, "If you are a cat lady, someday that'll make me a cat guy." Running his fingers over her back, he cocked his head, cherishing the time he got to spend with her.

Fear crossed her face, Emi had never seen Shota laugh so many times as he did. It was horrifying. Deep down, she loved it, but it was disturbing to know what was going through his head as he teased her. Was this normal? Hesitating to say anything, she glanced him over. "Is everything alright?"

Drawing his brows together, Shota questioned her, "What do you mean?"

Baffled, Emi retorted quietly, "I haven't seen you smile and laugh so much. I've always wanted to do that myself, but I feel like it's all been from you poking fun at me." Burying her face into his chest, she waited for him to poke more fun at her.

Stroking her hair, Shota lifted her chin with a few fingers. Half-smiling, he glared into her eyes. "You're beautiful is all, inside and out."

Studying his face, she retorted harshly, "Bullshit."

Widening his eyes at her comment, Shota playfully asserted, "Hey, now. That's supposed to be my response to you telling me that." Brushing her hair behind her ear, he leaned forward, kissing her lightly on the lips. "You know, I love you, Emi."

Stuck in the moment of kissing him, Emi stared at him blankly, fluttering her eyelashes. Regaining consciousness of the situation, she dictated, "Was that only to distract me from what we were talking about earlier, hmmm?"

Scruffling his nose, Shota scratched his cheek out of habit. Without taking his eyes off of her, he told her in confidence, "Emi Fukakado, I love you and always will, I promise you that."

Bringing her hand to her mouth, Emi wasn't convinced, "Prove it to me, Shota."

Thrown off balance, Shota turned his head away to process what to say in response. Figuring he would be honest with her, he faced his head at her. "From day one, I thought you were incredibly annoying. Truth is I wanted nothing to do with you. Every time, we were in a room together, I would attempt to run the other way."

Interrupting him, her eyes began to water. Tearing up, Emi questioned him, "Why are you telling me this, Shota. It hurts, so much to hear you say that."

Pressing his fingers against her lips, Shota shushed her, "Shhh, let me finish. I thought you irritating as hell with your jokes and your constant smiles, but the more time I spent with you, I realized you weren't always aggravating. There was more to you than I realized. I didn't realize this until we started dating, but for one, you're more emotional than I would have ever imagined. You like to play it strong and act like you're confident all the time, but somedays you're the complete opposite. Truth is we're all different than from how we let the world perceive us. I can say without a doubt that I'm fortunate to have you in my life. I'm glad I took the opportunity to get to know you instead of pushing you away constantly. Otherwise, if I didn't take the time to get to know you, I would still be that grumpy, tired hero that everyone wants nothing to do with. You complete me, Emi. I can say so much more about how you've changed my life for the better, but we'll be sitting here for days."

Cutting him off, different tears began to flow down her cheeks. With a trembling lip, Emi muttered, "That was beautiful...you complete me too, Shota." Leaning into him, she pressed her lips against his into a gentle, tender kiss.

Breaking away, Shota vowed to her, "Someday, I'm going to make you my wife. I don't know when, but we'll figure that out later. For now, I'll enjoy what we have now." With her holding him tight, he glanced down at Emi. Softly smiling, he bent down, giving her a small peck on her forehead. "I'll always love you, Emi."


End file.
